Great Britain

After a week that has brought shock upsets, controversy and typically wet British weather, this year’s World Athletics Championships were finally treated to the spectacle it so desperately craved and needed: that of Great Britain storming to a surprise gold medal in the men’s 4x100m relay final on Saturday night.

It was a result nobody expected and one that overshadowed Usain Bolt’s final track appearance, which was brought to an end in tragic fashion after the Jamaican pulled up with injury on the final straight.

But while the image of the eight-time Olympian collapsed on the track nursing his calf, long after the race had finished, certainly made for an unwelcome sight, it was a night to remember for Great Britain’s golden quartet.

The British team of Chijindu Ujah, Adam Gemili, Daniel Talbot and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake had a night to remember after the quartet finished first with a world lead time of 37.47 seconds.

The race favourites United States team of Mike Rodgers, Justin Gatlin,Jaylen Bacon and Christian Coleman was beaten to second place with the season best of 37.52 while Japan team of Shuhei Tada, Shola Iizuka,Yoshihide Kiryu and Kenji Fujimitsu were the surprise bronze medalist with season best of 38.04.

The jamaican team of Omar Mcleod, Julian Forte, Yohan Blake and Usain Bolt did not finish due to the injury.

First Lady Margaret Kenyatta has expressed her satisfaction with the preparations of the IAAF World U18 Championships adding that Kenya is all set to raise the bar in the Championship.

The first Lady who is also the World U18 championships patron further urged the Local Organizing Committee to ensure they deliver a world class event that will reflect the best of the country.

A total of 131 countries will be represented in the Championships that starts in Nairobi on July 12 to run until July14, with some of the teams expected to arrive this week to acclimatize ahead of the event that will be opened by President Uhuru Kenyatta. Poland will be the first country to check in tomorrow(Wednesday).Other countries are expected to check on Saturday ahead of the global event.

Earlier in the day, the First Lady who is the patron of event, inspected the facilities both at Kenyatta University and Kasarani main stadium where she was impressed with the work. The University will accommodate all the visiting teams in a special Games Village.

“I am truly overwhelmed with the work done here. This place will make Kenya proud,” said the First lady after an extensive inspection of accommodation, dining, kitchen and recreational facilities at the Games Village.

At Kenyatta University, the First Lady witnessed the hand-over of the Games Village from the University’s Vice Chancellor Prof. Paul Wainana to officials of the IAAF World U18 Local Organizing Committee (LOC) which was represented by its chairman Lt-General (rtd) Jackson Tuwei and Chief Executive Officer Mwangi Muthee.

The First Lady then made a second site visit at the Kasarani Stadium where infrastructural works including the laying of new tartan tracks are 98 per cent complete according to Sports, Culture and Arts Cabinet Secretary Hassan Wario who accompanied the First Lady at both sites.

“I am satisfied that actualization of the logistical and operational plans for the championships are well on course,” said the First Lady with optimism that the country will stage a world class event that reflects the very best of Kenya.

A total of 1,300 athletes will be fighting for the 37 competitions on offer where a strong 78-member Team Kenya will be out to defend its past record as the kings of long distance races.

The first lady was flanked by Sports Minister Dr.Hassan Wario,Athletics Kenya (AK) President Ltd.Jackson Tuwei, Sports Kenya ,AK and several sports dignitaries in her tour.

Of the 215 member countries that constitute the IAAF, six among them overall defending champions United States of America, Great Britain, Japan, New Zealand, Australia and Canada withdrew citing
security reasons.

At the Kasarani Stadium, where she met, mingled and chatted with some participating athletes of Team Kenya, the First Lady exuded confidence that Kenya was ready to receive the various teams and hold a
successful event.

“This will be second biggest sporting event that Kenya is hosting since the 1987 All Africa Games,” she said adding that the championships provide an opportunity to appreciate the diverse talents among the youth.

“For me, the upcoming IAAF World Under 18 Championships offer a fantastic opportunity for us to recognize the diverse talents and abilities of youth across the world. Every competing athlete will
serve as an inspiration to young people globally,” she added.

She expressed her pride with the Kenyan Athletes adding they have had the best mentorship under past champions in the names of such heroes as Catherine Ndereba, Pamela Jelimo, Noah Ngeny, John Ngugi and Julius Kariuki among others.

World’s super power United States of America (USA) is the latest country to withdraw from the 10thedition of IAAF World Under-18 championships to staged in Nairobi set for 12th to 16th July this year.

USA withdrew from the championships citing insecurity, which is a big blow to the hosts. The country has been a thorny issue among Kenyan athletes who have been topping the world and Kenya mostly playing second fiddle since the championships began in 1999 Bydgoszcz, Poland.

In 1999, Kenya won the overall title at Zdislaw Krzyszkowiak Stadium in Polish City, Bydgoszcz and Italy’s Brixen-Raiffesen Arena di Bressanone.

As title defending champions, USA will miss the championships to pave way for Kenya to shine again, capitalizing on home ground advantage at Kasarani stadium.

With the last event of the world U18, IAAF president announced that the championships will be discontinued immediately after Nairobi show.

The withdrawal means six counties have pulled out of the championships that started with New Zealand, Australia, Great Britain, Switzerland and Canada.

In 2015 event held in Cali Colombia, USA won a total of 19 medals-11 gold, 5 silver and five bronze to lift the overall title ahead of Kenya who registered 16 medals with 4 gold, five silver and 7 bronze where USA will not defend the title.

A letter from USA Track and Field (USATF) to youth coaches around the country indicated that the decision stems from Kenya’s designation as a critical threat by the US Department of State.

It detailed that US Department of State rated Kenya’s crime and terrorism as “critical” which is the highest level possible. The State Department’s security summary included risks for all types of crime, from theft to violent crime and terrorism.

“Due to increased security costs and the fact that all athletes would be aged 18 and younger, USATF has decided not to hold a selection event nor to travel to the championship,” said the letter.

“As part of a review of all USATF security issues, USATF’s security team has conducted a risk assessment for our delegation for the 2017 IAAF World Youth Championships, also known as the IAAF U18 Championships.”

USATF said that they are a strong supporter of ensuring the growth of track and field internationally, particularly among young people.

“We will continue to work with our IAAF colleagues to ensure appropriate and productive competitive opportunities for the youth in future.”

Kenya’s king of steeple chase and Olympic 3000m gold medalist Conseslus Kipruto will battle for honors at the 40th Antrim Cross Country that will be held at Antrim on Saturday 14th January.

Fresh from finishing position six at last Fridays (6) Campaccio Cross Country that was held in San Giorgia Italy, Kipruto crossed the finish line with a time of 29:20 in a race that was won by Ethiopian Muktar Edris who beat fellow country man and defending champion Imane Merga who won in 28:54 and 28:55 respectively.

The 22 years old will be among the a quality field of runners that will include Great britain’s Andy Vermon who knows the course better than any of his competitors having been on this same course five times.

Kenyan born now trading for Bahrain Abraham Cheroben, Morocco’s Soufiane El Bakkali who finished fourth at Rio behind Kipruto, two Great Britain’s brother Derek Hawkins and Callum Hawkins will be among the lineup stars to battle for podium finish.

Last year’s three podium finishers Bahrain’s Aweke Ayalew who beat two time former winner Uganda’s Thomas Ayeko and last year’s Brussels Diamond League winner Timothy Cheruiyot will not participate at the Snowy Greenmount, leaving the podium open for the take.

The three athletes in each category were shortlisted from an original list of 10 announced last month following a vote of representatives from all sections of the sport and members of the public.

Farah secured a historic ‘double double’ by retaining both his 5000m and 10000m Olympic titles in Rio.

Bolt sealed the ‘triple triple’ in Rio, winning his third Olympic title in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay while Van Niekerk became the first man to run sub-10 seconds for the 100m, sub-20 for the 200m and sub-44 for the 400m, breaking Michael Johnson’s 17-year world record on his way to Olympic gold.

Paula Radcliffe, in 2002, was the last British athlete to win one of the IAAF’s end-of-year awards while the last Briton to win the men’s award was triple jumper Jonathan Edwards in 1995, the year in which he jumped 18.29m – still the world record.

Jessica Ennis-Hill of Great Britain, the two-time world champion and 2012 Olympic gold medallist in the heptathlon, announced her retirement on Thursday (13).

“Amazing memories… from my first world title in Berlin 2009 to Rio 2016 I’m so fortunate to have had such an amazing career within the sport I love,” Ennis-Hill, 30, wrote in an announcement posted on her Instagram account. “This has been one of the toughest decisions I’ve had to make.”

“But I know that retiring now is right. I’ve always said I want to leave my sport on a high and have no regrets and I can truly say that.”

Ennis-Hill’s decision comes exactly two months after she finished second at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, a competition that would be her last.

Ennis-Hill’s rise to the upper echelon of her event began in 2006 when she took bronze in the heptathlon at the 2006 Commonwealth Games when still a teenager, marking the start of an elite career that would last for the next decade.
Part of London 2012’s ‘Super Saturday’

She won the first of her two world titles in Berlin in 2009, captured the European title in 2010 and took world silver in 2011 before her crowning achievement at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Competing before a capacity crowd of more than 80,000 at London’s Olympic Stadium, Ennis-Hill was part of Great Britain’s memorable “Super Saturday” trio –along with long jumper Greg Rutherford and distance star Mo Farah– who captured gold medals within the span of one hour. Her 6955-point tally was her second national record in the event that year, and would remain her career best that ranks her fifth in the event all-time.

A nagging achilles injury sidelined her from the 2013 IAAF World Championships in Moscow. She then took 2014 off from competition to give birth to son Reggie in July, but returned to competition less than one year later, finishing fourth at the Hypo-Meeting in Gotzis with 6520 points. Just two months after that, she capped a remarkable comeback with a second world title tallying 6669 points in Beijing.

Signalling a return to full fitness this season, Ennis-Hill won the IAAF Combined Events Challenge meeting in Ratingen, Germany, in June, with 6733 points, 64 more than the tally that brought her gold in Beijing. She captured the silver medal in Rio in August with 6775 points, just 35 behind winner Nafissatou Thiam of Belgium.

Indoors, she won world indoor gold in the pentathlon in 2010 and silver in 2012. Her 4965-point career best from the 2012 World Indoor Championships in Istanbul ranks fourth on the all-time list.

“The entire performance team of coaches, athletes and support staff will miss her at events,” said Neil Black, Performance Director for British Athletics. “Not only has she competed at the highest level, but she has been a warm and positive presence within the GB team and a great example to the younger team members.

“Her record as an athlete is phenomenal and that’s without considering the challenges of returning from pregnancy to win World gold and Olympic silver.”

She too expressed gratitude to her family, friends, team and fans for their long-time support.

“I want to thank my family and incredible team who have spent so much of their time supporting me and enabling me to achieve my dreams. Also a huge thank you to all those people who have supported and followed my career over the years.”